Apologies for multiple postings. Please circulate widely. *PRESS RELEASE* The European Union of Telecottages Associations (EUTA) and the Telecenters of the Americas Partnership (TAP), a collaboration among the Aspira Association, Inc., Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet), Pacific Community Networks Association (PCNA), Fundacion Chasquinet and _Somos@Telecentros <mailto:Somos@Telecentros>_ have agreed to join forces and establish a Global Telecentres Alliance for Community Development. EUTA and TAP are at the moment the largest organizations in this field assembling 20000 telecenters throughout Europe and the Americas. The Global Telecenters Alliance for Community Development shall * secure the effective participation and representation of grassroots telecenter associations in the organizations and fora addressing the application of information and communications technologies for development, and * facilitate the cooperation between and sharing of resources and experiences among these associations in order to help them more effectively achieve their missions. EUTA and TAP urge community telecenters to join the associations that are already part of their membership or form national and regional associations where they do not yet exist. Membership in the Global alliance will be open to regional organizations. Till they are in place, national organizations may be accepted upon consent of existing members of the Global Alliance. In order to join the Global Telecenters Alliance for Community Development organizations should: o have a significant number of members throughout the territory of their country, o be formed by a majority of grassroots telecenters or associations of telecenters, o have formal governance structures and rules. The telecenters in these organizations should be associated with a variety of community services and activities, beyond simple access to the Internet and computer literacy. Members of the Global Alliance might invite to join civil society organizations that do not correspond to the above profile but play a noteworthy role in the area of information and communication technologies and community development TAP : http://www.tele-centers.net/ EUTA : http://euta.hu/ -- ================================================================= Dr. Michel J. Menou Consultant in ICT policies and Knowledge & Information Management Adviser of Somos@Telecentros board http://www.tele-centros.org Member of the founding steering committee of Telecenters of the Americas Partnership http://www.tele-centers.net/ B.P. 15 49350 Les Rosiers sur Loire, France Email: Michel.Menou@wanadoo.fr Phone: +33 (0)2 41511043 http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ciber/peoplemenou.php ================================================================== -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.361 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/147 - Release Date: 24/10/2005